Ground engaging vehicle brake



March 8, 1955 c. J. GAMBARDl-:LLA

GROUND ENGAGING VEHICLE BRAKE Filed April 8. 1954 INVENTOR. CARMINE J. GAMBARDELLA ATTORNEYS United States Patent O GROUND ENGAGnvG VEHICLE BRAKE Carmine J. Gambardella, Warwick, R. I., assignor to Lee Engineering Company, Pawtucket, R. I., a partnership Application April 8, 1954, Serial No. 421,914

3 Claims. (Cl. 18S-5) `Portable lifts of the type comprising a truck mounted on casters and equipped with either a manually or electrically operated lifting mechanism are commonly used in factories and warehouses to convey and stack contamers, boxes, palletized loads, etc. Due to such factors as the weight of the load, uneven hoor, and relative instability of the load, it is necessary both in receivmg and discharging a load to hold the truck ti'lrmly in the iloor. To this end individual locking pins for the casters are sometimes used, but the time and inconvenience involved in applying and removing the locking pins is such as to discourage their use. An alternative arrangement consists of a locking jack which depends from the underside of the truck so that its locking foot may be moved against the rtloor or retracted upwardly to provide a clearance above the floor of the order of an inch or two. When such tracks are used on uneven or littered hoors, or on a way having obstructions, the brake jack is apt to be snapped oit and/ or the truck tipped so as to jeopardize the load.

The principal objects of the present invention are to overcome the aforementioned difficulties and to provide a simple, efcient, and reliable brake which may be readily attached to a truck chassis, or the like wheeled vehicle, or to a platform, skid, pallet, scale, or other portable device, so as to be quickly operated and released by a simple manipulation of the foot.

tFurther objects relate to various features of construction and will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of my new iloor brake applied to the end of a portable lift truck;

vFig. 2 is a side elevation of the iloor brake shown in i Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof, partly in section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment herein shown for the purposes of illustration comprises an inverted channel shaped member l adapted to be welded, bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the underside of the frame or chassis 2 of a conventional lift truck so that the ilanges 4 and 5 project downwardly. The corresponding ends of both fanges are formed with slots 6 and 8 Fig. l) which receives a slidable pin it), and the opposite ends of these zanges are provided with openings which rotatably support a pivot pin 12.

One end of links 14 of a toggle is welded or otherwise secured to the slidable pin and the opposite link 15 is likewise secured to the pivot pin 12, the inner ends of these links being pivotally connected to an intermediate inverted U-shaped member 16 having a flat upper face 17 which provides a leveling bracket effective to hold the parts in proper position. The legs of the member 16 are welded or otherwise secured to a brake foot 18 which carries a friction shoe 20. IOne end of the pin 12 projects outwardly beyond the ilange 4 and pivotally supports an operating lever 22. The inner end of the lever is provided with an o'set 24 which receives the end of a iinger 25 that is welded to the undersurface of link 15, and the opposite end of the lever is formed with a laterally projecting lug 26 which provides an abutment or handle engageable by the toe of the operator to swing the lever from one position to another.

With this construction and arrangement of parts, the lever 22 acts on the link 15 through the tinger 25 to swing the toggle links 14, inwardly and outwardly so that the locking foot may be moved from extended or locking position, shown by the full lines of Fig. 2, to retracted position wherein the links 14, 15 and intermediate member 16 are disposed within the contines of the ilanges 4 and 5 with the links beyond dead center, as shown by the dot dash lines of Fig. 2. The parts are yieldingly held in either one of these positions by a pair of tension springs 30, 31, the ends of which are connected to the pins 10 and 12. When the lever 22 is swung upwardly both springs 30 and 31 come into action to move the brake foot downwardly and thus cooperate to hold the parts extended with sufficient force to apply a reliable braking action against the hoor on which the truck is supported.

It will be observed that when the parts are in retracted position, the toggle links are nested Within the confines of the rilanges 4 and 5 and the brake foot is disposed against the lower edges of the -anges so that there is normally a clearance above the floor of several inches.

Hence, in using the truck on an uneven or littered oor conventional brakes are designed for use with only one specific size wheel.

While 1I have shown and described one desirable embodiment. of the invention it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

'l claim:

l. A brake of the class described, comprising a pair of spaced tilanges arranged to depend from the underside of the chassis of the device to which it is to be attached, corresponding ends of said flanges having longitudinally extending slots, a pin having its ends slidably mounted in said slots, toggle links having one end connected to said pin and the other end pivotally connected to the Ianges adjacent to the end opposite said slots, a brake foot carried by the intermediate pivotal connection of said toggle links, an operating lever acting on said toggle links so that when said lever is swung from one position to another it moves said brake foot from a retracted position, wherein said toggle links are within the contines of said tlanges, to braking position, wherein said toggle linkes are extended so that the brake foot is at the floor level, and spring means acting on said toggle links so as to hold said brake Shoe in either position.

2. A brake of the class described, comprising a pair of spaced flanges arranged to depend from the underside of the chassis of the device to which it is to be attached, corresponding ends of said flanges having longitudinally extending slots, a pin having its ends slidably mounted in said slots, toggle links having one end connected to said pin and the other end pivotally connected to the flanges adjacent to the end opposite said slots, a brake foot carried by the intermediate pivotal connection of said toggle links, an operating lever acting on said toggle links so that when said lever is swung from one position to another it moves said brake foot from a retracted position, wherein said toggle links are beyond dead center and within the contines of said tlanges, to braking position, wherein said toggle links are extended so that the brake foot is at the flloor level, and a tension spring having its opposite ends connected with the outer ends of said toggle links so that when said brake foot is retracted said spring holds the parts in retracted position, and when said brake foot is in braking position said spring holds said parts extended.

3. A brake of the class described, comprising a pair of spaced flanges arranged to depend from the underside of the chassis of the device to which it is to be attached, corresponding ends of said ianges having longitudinally extending slots, a pin having its ends slidably mounted in said slots, a pivot pin carried by the end portions of said anges opposite said slots, toggle links having their op- 995i@ ends cdnnegted t@ the sliding and pivot pins, @brake foot carried by the intermediate pivotal connection of said toggle links, a laterally projecting inger carried by one of Said tegel@ links,l an operating lever. pivotally mounted cn one end'of said pivot "pin and engageable with said dinger so that when swung from one position to another said brake foot moves from a retracted position, wherein said toggle links arev beyond dead center and Within the conns. of said angCS., t0 braking position, wherein said toggle links are extended so that the brake foot is at the floor level, and a tension spring having its opposite ends conneeted with the slidable and pivot pins so that when 4 said Mali@ toot is, retractedx it holds the parts in retracted position, and when said brake foot is in braking position, said spring 4holds the parts extended.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 645,628 Fletcher Mar. 20, 1900 737,852 Lohsand Sept. 1, 1903 1,282,054 Dorohon Oct. 22, 1918 1,455,576 Elliott May l5, 1923 

